Copyright 1999 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
May 18, 1999
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 1253 words
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY May 18, 1999 REBECCA D. STANFIELD SENATE ENVIRONMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS EPA'S PROPOSED SULPHUR STANDARD
BODY:
Testimony of Rebecca D. Stanfield Clean Air
Advocate U. S. Public Interest Research Group On the Environmental Protection
Agency's Proposed Sulfur Standard for Gasoline
May 18, 1999 Good morning. My name is Rebecca Stanfield, and I am the Clean Air
Advocate for U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG). U.S. PIRG is the
national lobby office for the state PIRGs, which are consumer and environmental
watchdog organizations active across the nation. I greatly appreciate the
opportunity to speak to the Subcommittee today on this important and timely
issue. Air Pollution is Causing a Public Health Crisis Air pollution impacts the
health of over 117 million Americans who live in areas where the air quality is
often unhealthful. Each year tens of thousands of Americans are rushed to
hospital emergency rooms due to asthma attacks brought on by smog pollution.
Millions more miss work, miss school, are forced to stay indoors instead of
playing outside or experience loss of lung function due to air pollution. More
than 40,000 people this year will die prematurely as a result of air pollution.
An anecdote may serve to more clearly illustrate the magnitude of this problem.
In one New Jersey Episcopal congregation more than half of the children carry
inhalers to Sunday School, and the risks of an attack are so high that the
minister keeps a nurse on call during on smoggy summer days when children are at
the church for activities. Stories like this one are becoming more and more
common, as the number of Americans with asthma rises even above its current
number of 15 million victims, including over 5 million children. Moreover, air
pollution is not just a Northeastern or a California problem, as it was once
believed to be. Today, air pollution is known to be a national problem. During
the 1998 smog season, over 5200 violations of EPA's smog standard occurred in 41
states across the nation, including the home states of every member of this
Subcommittee. The Proposed Gasoline Sulfur Standards Would Save
Lives The U.S. EPA has proposed regulations that will save lives by reducing air
pollution from one of its largest sources, the automobile. Despite improvements
in automobile pollution control technology, motor vehicles are still responsible
for one-third of the smog-forming, air pollution emitted in the United States.
This is because people are driving more than ever: two and a half trillion miles
a year in the 1990s, compared to just one trillion miles per year in 1970.
Reducing the extremely high levels of sulfur in
gasoline sold throughout the U.S. will vastly improve the
performance of the pollution control equipment in current and future models of
automobiles, cutting smog and soot pollution, as well as hydrocarbons, carbon
monoxide sulfur dioxide, and air tonics. Even in existing cars
clean gasoline can cut pollution levels by up to 20 percent. In
new, low-emission vehicles which will soon be available across the nation,
pollution levels are more than double when using high sulfur
gasoline, as compared to clean gasoline. Studies by
the State and Territorial Air Pollution Program Administrators, and the
Association of Local Air Pollution Control Officials show that EPA's
sulfur proposal would have the same air quality benefits as
removing -4 million cars Tom the roads entirely. The Proposed Gasoline
Sulfur Standards are Cost-Effective EPA's proposal is a cost-effective
pollution reduction measure which has already been implemented in Japan,
Finland, Thailand, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the European Union and California.
EPA estimates that the program will cost just one to two cents per gallon of
gasoline. For the typical driver, that adds up to about $12 per
year. This added cost is well within the cost that the American public is
willing to pay for cleaner air. Earlier this year the American Lung Association
commissioned a poll showing that 90 percent of Americans would pay three cents
per gallon more for clean gasoline, while 70 percent would pay
five cents more per gallon. A Uniform, National Program Must Be Adopted We agree
with EPA that it is critical to adopt a uniform national standard, rather than
the regional standards advocated by the petroleum industry for several important
reasons. First, as I said before, air pollution is a national problem, with
violations of the smog standards occurring in four out of five states last
summer. Reducing smog and soot forming pollution from automobiles can benefit
people everywhere, not just in the worst ozone non- attainment areas of Southern
California and the Northeast. Second, high sulfur gasoline sold
in one state is very likely to have pollution impacts in many states. The reason
is that Americans drive from state to state, and from region to region, fueling
their vehicles along the way with whatever type of gasoline is
sold in that state. A traveler filling up his gas tank with dirty Mel while
passing through a slate with less stringent standards will damage the pollution
control equipment in the car, part of which damage is irreversible. Thus the car
will continue to be more polluting even after returning to its home state. Such
an approach to gasoline sulfur standards would seriously
undermine the effectiveness of the entire clean car program. The Proposed
Standards Provide Ample Flexibility for Industry EPA's proposal strikes a
balance between achieving necessary pollution reductions, and allowing the
industry ample time and flexibility to meet the new standards. First, EPA allows
the industry to use an averaging system to meet an average standard of 30 parts
per million sulfur content. Second, EPA allows the oil
refineries to meet these standards through the use of credits, generated as
early as the year 2000 by refiners who make early sulfur
reductions from current levels. Third, EPA is allowing less stringent caps to be
met in the years 20()4 and 2005, with the final cap of 80 parts per million
sulfur to be met in 2006, more than six years after adoption of
the rules. Finally, EPA allows small refiners, defined as a small business under
the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, to meet less
stringent standards through the year 2007. The Proposed Standards Should be
Phased In Earlier We believe that EPA's proposed gasoline
sulfur standards allows too much time to pass before the significant
air pollution benefits can be expected. In 2001 automakers will begin nationwide
marketing of low emission vehicles under the voluntary National Low Emission
Vehicle program. The effectiveness of the emission control technology used in
these vehicles will be compromised by the sulfur that will
remain at high levels until 2004 - 2006, when clean gasoline
would be phased in under the proposed standards. Moreover, under EPA's proposal,
gasoline containing sulfur at levels up to 300
parts per million will continue to be sold in 2004, the year that EPA is
requiring 25 percent of new cars to be significantly cleaner. Again, the
technological advances made in these vehicles will be undermined by the use of
high-sulfur fuel in 2004 and 2005. A better approach would be
to begin phasing-in clean gasoline earlier, so that most, if
not all gasoline sold in 2004 is clean
gasoline. Thank you again for the opportunity to address the
Subcommittee. I hope that you will agree that the timely phase-in of a
nationwide clean gasoline program is an important public health
protection that should be adopted immediately.
LOAD-DATE: May 19, 1999